Is it a stretch to anticipate an 80-percent chance that Holmgren will pull off a trade involving the Browns’ first-round pick?

Not necessarily. In Holmgren’s 10 years as head coach in Seattle, the Seahawks made eight trades involving Round 1 selections.

Is that information deceiving in that Holmgren doubled as GM and head coach in only five of those years?

Quite the contrary.

In Holmgren’s first four seasons as GM, 1999-2002, he made five trades involving Round 1 picks — all involving first-round choices that hadn’t yet been made.

Within his first three months with the Browns, Holmgren has traded out two past first-round picks, quarterback Brady Quinn and linebacker Kamerion Wimbley.

It’s incredibly hard to trade out of the top 5, but it does get easier for teams that want to trade out of the top 6-10 picks. If the Browns want to trade down, quarterback Jimmy Clausen might be the key to them doing so. If a team wants to jump ahead of the Raiders, Bills and Jaguars in order to nab Clausen, the Browns are sitting in the perfect spot at No. 7. The only catch is that the Raiders (No. 8), Bills (No. 9) and Jaguars (No. 10) are the three teams that are most likely to pull the trigger on Clausen in the first round.

In my latest mock draft, I have the Browns selecting Tennessee safety Eric Berry at No. 7, although Florida cornerback Joe Haden and offensive tackles Anthony Davis (Rutgers) and Bryan Bulaga (Iowa) are possibilities as well. (Assuming Russell Okung and Trent Williams, the top offensive linemen in the draft, are off the board.) If Holmgren chooses to stay put at No. 7, it’s very likely that he’ll land a prospect that can contribute right away.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Browns have had trade discussions with other teams about quarterback Brady Quinn. Schefter doesn’t share any other details than that, so it’s unclear at this point which teams would be interested in the former first round pick.

It’s clear by the offseason reports that the new brass in Cleveland isn’t satisfied with its quarterback situation. The Browns traded for Seneca Wallace earlier in the week and released Derek Anderson on Tuesday, so with Quinn on the block Mike Holmgren could be gearing up to make a trade for a veteran quarterback.

But whom will he target? Donovan McNabb is the first name that comes to mind, but it sounds like the only way the Eagles will part with the veteran QB is if they can acquire a first round pick in return. Unless they trade down, it’s hard to see Holmgren giving up the No. 7 overall pick to acquire an aging McNabb.

Another name that makes sense is Matt Hasselbeck, whom Holmgren is obviously very familiar with. Rumor has it that the Seahawks have contacted the Eagles about a possible trade for either McNabb or Kevin Kolb and if one of them were acquired, Hasselbeck would then become expendable.

All of this remains a long shot right now (the Eagles maintain that they want to keep McNabb and Kolb), but this news about Quinn being placed on the trading block opens the door to several possibilities.

Cleveland Scores reports (via NFL.com) that several teams are calling the Browns inquiring about Josh Cribbs. But Profootballtalk.com reports that Cleveland has no interest in dealing the explosive receiver/return man.

This offseason, Cribbs threatened to hold out if he didn’t receive a new contract, but he never made good on his threats. He’s set to make $620,00 in 2009, $635,000 in 2010, $650,000 in 2011 and $790,00 in 2012. Considering his increased role in the offense, he’s highly underpaid and it’s understandable why he would want a new contract.

But the Browns aren’t ready to re-work his deal, which is why teams are calling about his services. The Dolphins seem to be the team that is pursuing him the most, although the Chiefs, Raiders and even the Colts have reportedly shown interest as well.

Cribbs wants to remain a Brown for the rest of his career, but if the team were unwilling to extend his contract, he’d welcome a trade out of Cleveland. Considering the Browns just traded Braylon Edwards to the Jets, one would think that they would pony up to keep a player of Cribbs’ talent. But Eric Mangini and GM George Kokinis have already shown the willingness to trade players from the previous regime, so nobody should be surprised if Cribbs is eventually dealt.